country and encouraging all those who favoured
the Romans, he returned into Gaul after spending eighteen days in
Germany. His expedition against the Britanni[498] was notorious for
its daring: for he was the first who entered the western Ocean with
an armament and sailed through the Atlantic sea, leading an army to
war; and by attempting to occupy an island of incredible magnitude,
which furnished matter for much dispute to numerous writers, who
affirmed that the name and the accounts about it were pure inventions,
for it never had existed and did not then exist, he extended the Roman
supremacy beyond the inhabited world. After twice crossing over to the
island from the opposite coast of Gaul, and worsting the enemy in many
battles rather than advantaging his own men, for there was nothing
worth taking from men who lived so wretched a life and were so poor,
he brought the war to a close not such as he wished, but taking
hostages from the king and imposing a tribute, he retired from the
island. On his return he found letters which were just going to cross
over to him from his friends in Rome, informing him of his daughter's
death, who died in child-birth in the house of her husband Pompeius.
Great was the grief of Pompeius, and great was the grief of Caesar; and
their friends were also troubled, as the relationship was now
dissolved which maintained peace and concord in the State, which but
for this alliance was threatened with disturbance. The child also died
after surviving the mother only a few days. Now the people, in spite
of the tribunes, carried Julia[499] to the Field of Mars, where her
obsequies were celebrated; and there she lies.

XXIV. As the force of Caesar was now large, he was obliged to
distribute it in many winter encampments. But while he was on his road
to Italy, according to his custom, there was another general rising of
the Gauls, and powerful armies scouring the country attempted to
destroy the winter camps, and attacked the Roman entrenchments. The
most numerous and bravest of the revolted Gauls under Abriorix
destroyed Cotta[500] and Titurius with their army; and the legion
under Cicero[501] they surrounded with sixty thousand men and
blockaded, and they came very near taking the camp by storm, for all
the Romans had been wounded and were courageously defending themselves
above their strength. When this intelligence reached Caesar, who was at
a distance, he quickly turned about, and getting toge